Place in Time: Fantasy Befallen
by Chiefie
Summary: A bit of an epic tale of searching for truth. Two years after Vegnagun is defeated, Rikku begins to feel as if her life is losing its meaning. But what if Tidus was not the only one to fall victim to time travel? In a newfound world, Rikku is the key.
1. The Old World

Place in Time: Fantasy Befallen

By Chiefie

Disclaimer: This story contains mild language, violence, and sexual situations. I also don't own any of the characters used in this story, nor do I pretend to.

A/N (updated December 2007): Wow, it's crazy to think it's been over a year since I originally wrote the first three chapters to this story. It wasn't my intention to just suddenly stop writing (I suppose it never is for anyway), so I apologize to anyone who's been eagerly awaiting some kind of conclusions. First I figure I better start with the bad news, that this story's not going to end anytime soon. Nevertheless, I promise to try to start updating some new chapters every now and then. I still have a good idea for how I want this story to play out and it wouldn't be fair for my reader (or fair to me) to give only part of the story. My goal in writing any story (even fanfiction) is to provide as original an experience as possible, and I hope that this story is unlike anything you've read before.

Please check out all of the old chapters as I've edited them and changed some information. For the sake of accuracy, the setting in chapters 2 and 3 has been moved from Midgar to Edge.

With that, let us begin again!

---

1. The Old World

The grass spiked up towards the sky.

There was a patch of daffodils growing along the side of the Highroad. Rikku picked it up and sniffed it. Sweet—but fleeting, much like the rest of her life. The smell would be gone as petals fell and the pollen went away. The moment was over in a matter of seconds, and she went along her way to Luca.

The war was over, but she didn't know whether to be excited or relieved. There had been ceremonies, concerts, parades, awards, parties, and pretty much everything else one could think of involving smiling faces and loud music. Time flew by like a bullet at first, from one extravagant celebration to another; then life slowed and eventually came to a screeching halt. She thought about going on television programs to raise her star power but eventually changed her mind. If she was meant to be remembered, it would be her name that was hitting the airwaves. Lady Yuna was a household name. She was famous before the adventures started, and defeating Sin only helped to make her the most popular person in all of Spira.

As the wind hit her against the back, she knew life always wasn't this quiet. Two years ago walking the Highroad meant easy publicity and adventure. There would be fans at every corner, waiting to speak with her or to just cheer her on.

"You're Rikku, aren't you?" one of them, a little girl with a distinctly long ponytail, asked one day.

"Yep, sure am!" She'd smile and act giddy, how everyone expected her to be.

"Do you think I can have your autograph? I've been a fan of yours ever since you took out Vengagun."

"No problem!" The little girl held out a sleeve of paper with one her think hands. Rikku pulled out a pen (the one she seemed to carry almost out of instant these days) and scribbled down her name to the girl's enjoyment.

"You live around here?" she'd ask them. "It's so beautiful! It makes you want to put your arms up and scream as loud as you can!"

"It's fun," the kid said with a shy smile. "But what's it like traveling Spira, seeing new worlds and fighting bad guys! I want to be like you."

"No you don't!" she'd say, shaking her head. "You want to be yourself. Do that, and you'll probably ending up being someone really important. After all, I'm pretty goofy!"

They shared a good laugh before the girl graciously nodded.

"Thanks, Rikku!" She handed the girl the autograph and watched her walk away. This was the typical procedure among all patrons. Sometimes guys (some even the parent of such long-haired little girls) would try to ask her out and she'd politely lie "she was seeing someone." A few times it wasn't even a lie.

She walked along the same Highroad corner now, two years past that time, a week before her twentieth birthday. She'd generally walk alone, but the same corners and gardens would be void of any rabid fans or even horny older men. Most of them were off chasing Yuna, whose upcoming marriage to Tidus was making even more news than her failed engagement with Maester Seymour. Maybe she was jealous of the attention and the adoration, or maybe she just lamented people getting attention for the right reasons. What about the modern-day sphere hunters? The only newsworthy attractions seemed to be politicians and pretty faces.

Nevertheless Rikku was glad she had changed quite a bit since the times of sphere-hunting and adventuring. She wasn't a little girl anymore, insecure and wearing skimpy clothing to attract boys. Her orange shirt and khaki pants seemed more fitting, more mature. That didn't mean that she wanted to abandon her personality altogether, though. She was still perky and reasonably optimistic, willing to help whenever possible. She was still an Al Bhed, and took her culture with as much pride as a young woman could.

She continued down the Highroad to a circular-shaped building, its paint cracking in spots but the turquoise color still striking against the backdrop. Rin's Travel Agency was a popular stop for her during the days of traveling, but now it was a bit of an inconvenience for commoners. Too eccentric, and too intimidating for first-time customers. Luckily she was in the neighborhood, so she decided to creep the door open for a visit. Rin was standing behind the counter, the same smug grin on his face that existed back when he was dealing supplies to Crusaders

"Miss Rikku! It's been quite some time." The pair spoke in Al Bhed, while the other customers tended to ignore them and go about their business.

"I know, I'm sorry," Rikku replied. "I usually don't come to Mi'hen anymore. I almost forgot how darn pretty it was here!"

"Old terrain is easy to forget when replaced by new memories." Speaking in riddles as always. Rikku chose to ignore him.

"So how have you been? News of you has faded as of late."

Rikku sighed a bit and leaned forward. Should she really confide in such a greedy man? It seemed there had to be better choice—Brother, Buddy, Wakka, Lulu, or even Kimahri—but she was here, and none of the others had too much time at the moment to donate to listening to a young girl vent.

"I guess I've been feeling…empty."

"Empty? How can that be so?" Rin pounded his knuckles against the front cabinet. "You are a hero to all of Spira!"

"I know, and that's what makes my feelings so damn frustrating," she exclaimed, putting extra emphasis on the last word. "It's just that I feel so without purpose now. I did so much stuff as a teenager that I don't know what else to do. Politics isn't for me, neither is all of that kooky religious mumbo-jumbo. Could you see me in New Yevon?"

Rin laughed, but responded quickly.

"Rikku, you are young. You need not worry about accomplishments when you are barely an adult. Go have fun, dare I say it. Enjoy life just because you're living it."

She was anxious, and starting to believe that Rin wasn't much help at all.

"I try to have fun and act giddy like I used to. I still run around Spira whenever I get the chance. I'm even on my way back from Youth League Headquarters, visiting some friends."

"Ah," Rin gave a sly smile, knowing immediately who she was speaking of. "How are Paine and Nooj?"

"Peachy. They're thinking about starting a family."

"You don't seem too happy for them."

"I am," Rikku protested, "but it's hard to tell them how happy I am when they're so wrapped up in their own little world! Wait...so I guess that means I'm not that happy."

"It sounds to me like you are a bit jealous, but even more than that lonely."

"That's kind of why I came here, to have someone to talk to," she chuckled, "that and to get some juice for my house." He shuffled his feet to the juice bar in the back-right corner, mixing up fruits to put into a large carton. However, he made this no excuse to stop talking.

"Think about it. Your friends have all moved on since Vegnagun, and you are worried you have not. Have you met anyone knew since your adventures?"

"Of course I have!" She said with a pout. "I have new friends!"

"Do you? Name them." Rikku had no reply. She stood for a moment, tapping her sandal against the floor, while some people began to demand service from behind her.

"I am sorry, Rikku, but I must continue my business for today. But think about what I said."

She nodded her head in disappointed agreement. "All right."

"And it'll be 250 Gil for the juice."

She thumped the money down onto the counter. "Still trying to make coin every chance you get, huh?"

"I will never let up," he laughed heartily, more so than the situation called for. Rikku ignored him and closed the door.

The heat outside struck her immediately, causing her to wipe her brow delicately and whistle. She knew she was in trouble when she started going to Rin for advice. But who else could she go to? Brother was loveable but more or less an idiot. Cid, however, was stubborn and unwilling to hear her out. He'd just complain that her troubles were nothing in comparison to his. Cid's grumbling were why she never returned to Home for any extended period of time. She had trouble relating to Cid, or any Al Bhed, for that matter.. She figured she'd come around eventually, much like Yuna did when she went back to Besaid. It just hadn't happened yet.

She continued to walk down the Highroad, watching as children smiled and played with jacks and blitzballs. The machina were making life much easier, picking up the occasional piece of trash while continuously planting seasonal flowers. She was happy to see people begin to understand that machina were not the cause for Spira's destruction. It was a terrible stigma that probably still lasted in places.

She messed with the tie on her hair for a moment, before feeling a loud buzzing at her belt loop. She looked into the caller ID. Gippal. She decided not to answer it and stuck it back at its resting place.

About a year ago she had given in to her friends' advice and went to dinner a few times with the egotistical leader of the Machine Faction. Turns out he was little other than a narcissistic pig, asking her for liquor on the first date and sex the next. She declined both offers, pushing him away to sulk and wonder what he did wrong. He called her every month or so since, mostly to "talk" about life; it generally meant he wanted another opportunity to get in her pants. Therefore she turned her attention elsewhere.

She could see the building of Luca in the distance. She was nervous at first moving there two years ago, where the lights and celebrations never ceased to end. At one point she thought her fans would eat her alive. Now she felt as alone there as anywhere else, probably more so without any close friends nearby. The televisions were broadcasting as she looked around to her left and right:

"Today, the formal announcement was made for the wedding of former Summoner Yuna and Tidus of Zanarkand. They will be married on third of next month inside of Besaid Temple, where they began their original adventure to defeat Sin." She turned to the TV on the left side, where the reporter was beaming of the opportunity to read such "important" news.

"In a joint statement released this morning, the happy couple stated they were "elated to announce their marriage" and "hope it will only take another step forward to uniting Spira and bringing eternal calm." It's really so cute, isn't it?"

"Why don't you just shut up!" Rikku yelled, probably louder than she meant to. "Why not talk about something else for a change?"

_That's what you want, isn't it?_

"Excuse me?" She spun around, trying to figure out the origin of the voice. She didn't see anyone stopping to talk to her. Then she noticed a small boy, wrapped in a loose brown cloak with a shadowy face, who stood a few feet from her right.

_You want a change. You want to feel important again._

The boy's slot of a mouth did not move, and it was a women's voice speaking, but for some reason she didn't doubt him to be the source of the words. She couldn't pinpoint it, but there was a certain essence about him, almost otherworldly. No real boy would dress so bizarre, she thought.

He smiled, beckoning Rikku to follow him. She hesitated at first. "How do you know what I'm thinking? If you want an autograph that's fine, but don't try to weird me out with the girly voice."

It infuriated her, how the boy seemed to not care about her words.

_Do you feel you are not wanted here anymore?_

"Please, just go away! I'm not in the mood for whatever trick you're trying to pull!"

_There is a place where you are needed._

It was stupid for her to listen, especially to a strange voice seeming to know the inner workings of her mind, but she eventually submitted.

"Okay, say your piece and then leave."

_Follow me._

The boy led her through the main street of town, watching people scamper around to various shops. Many were wearing blitzball uniforms in start of the oncoming season. Others were moving to the sphere theatre. Everyone else seemed to be walking back and forth without a care, wasting time and reveling in it.

_These are the normal people of Spira. They do nothing special, but they are content with being followers. Their daily ritual rarely changes, and they like it better when it doesn't. Rikku, you know by now you are not one of these people. You are different._

"Don't forget that five years ago I was one of them." Some of the townspeople started to give her strange looks, giving her the idea that maybe she was talking to air. The boy must have been an illusion that for some reason only she could see.

_You are different because in nearly 20 years of existence you have seen more than many of these people ever will. You have lived an extraordinary life, and the common daily ritual does not suit you._

"But what can I do about it? I can't kick butt just for the sake of doing it! There's no villains right now, and definitely no one to steal from. Except for maybe Leblanc."

_Come with me. I can take you to a place where you are important to others. I see it in your eyes; you are getting sadder every day with this lifestyle._

Rikku moved left at the stadium with the boy, moving past a few docks and in the direction of her recently-finished home.

"How do I know you aren't leading me into a trap?"

_I can make no guarantees, and you could end up hurting people if you chose to accept my offer. Remember, everything in this world is a choice. What I know is that you have a chance to be an important part of our planet's history, You may accept what I am saying, or you can ignore me and continue on with your seemingly meaningless life. Watch Tidus, the man you once loved, get married to Yuna. You will be buried in your memories and in regret._

"I don't love Tidus," she said with an awkward laugh, turning around to make sure no one was listening. "I never…well I might have thought about it at one time. Does this really matter?"

_No, but I know watching it would haunt you. What matters to you is this decision. Let me take you to another place in time, one where you are needed._

She hesitated as the boy stopped directly before her tiny house. It was painted vibrant shades of pink and red with a small garden planted outside. The lights were off.

"It's kind of weird you know the way to my house…" she took in a few deep breaths, running the options through her head. This boy was a vessel of sorts, so she didn't even bother to make eye contact with him anymore.

"Do I have time to make a choice?" she finally asked.

_You have an hour. Meet me in this same spot then, and present me with your decision._

"You really are blunt." She chuckled anxiously, the sound of her own voice serving as a comfort.

_I've been told I'm much nicer in person._

The boy vanished, and she was left alone.

"Ah, poopie!" It was the first time Rikku had shouted that annoying exclamation in years. She blushed, letting herself into her small house.

She threw her keys up on the wooden counter of the bar. She was really proud of this place. The parkay floors, the paintings and decorations, the bed lifted up on bamboo shoots. It was like she had taken a piece of every part of Spira and combined it into one house. If she went along with the offer presented she may never be in this place again. Or if she was, it would likely not be the same.

A normal person would have likely not given the proposition a second thought. It was silly, it was preposterous. It was a lie built upon making money. Rikku was not normal, though, and she had heard of this bizarre time travel before.

Tidus was a time-traveler. Was he given the same offer, or was he just transported to here without option? Maybe he could shed some light on the present situation.

She pulled out her phone again and searched for his number. Isaaru? No. Wakka? No. Kimahri? Did he even have a phone? She finally found Tidus towards the end of the list and the phone began to ring.

"Hello?" The voice was casual, and clearly his.

"Hey, Tidus. It's Rikku!"

"Rikku! How're you doing, girl? It seems like it's been forever since I've heard from you!"

"Yeah, I've been keeping busy." She laughed nervously, and Tidus was probably able to tell she was lying. "You looking forward to the wedding? They are talking about it all over Luca."

"Really? Not surprised." Tidus and Yuna had been staying in Bevelle the past few months, away from at least a small part of the media attention. "People keep jumping on us with all these damn preparations. I love Yuna, but why should I care what songs are played? I don't even know what songs are popular at weddings!"

She was quiet in response.

"Try something simple."

"I'll see what happens. It's all a mess right now." A brief pause followed.

"So what's been going on?" This was the clue to say the reason she called. At least it was nicer than Yuna's customary "I'm busy right now."

"I have kind of a crazy question for you."

"What's up?" Tidus was calm as always, afraid to expose himself outside of being funny or clever.

"Do you remember when you were transported to Spira from Zanarkand? I mean, was there someone who came to see you?"

"Someone like who?"

"A little boy."

"Yeah…he was a collection of pyreflies. Lost souls or something like that. He showed right around Sin's attack."

"Did he speak in a woman's voice?"

"No, spoke in a boy's, but it still freaked the hell out of me." He laughed for a moment at something going on in the background. "Sorry, Yuna's whining that I'm only packing two outfits for the weekend. We're going to Kilika."

"That's great," she said with fake excitement.

"So what brings on all the curiosity? You weren't visited by one, were you?"

Dead silence.

"You were? Thought you'd be gone be now if that happened." He didn't say much else, for he was frankly in shock. For the past few years he thought he was the only one to be a victim of such a feat.

Rikku stuttered a bit as she spoke.

"I was given a choice to stay or be transported elsewhere, a place where I have a chance to 'be a part of history' somehow."

"And you're thinking about going."

"Yeah, maybe."

"Wow, it's a big decision. If I was given a choice I probably wouldn't have done it and stayed in Zanarkand." She could hear a "hey!" coming from Yuna in the background. "I thought I had everything in my old world, but it turns out I was missing so much. I don't miss the place at all now, thanks to my girl back there. What's making the decision so hard for you?"

"I just…I feel like I don't belong here anymore." Her voice grew soft, to a tone Tidus could barely recognize in her. "I've done everything I can in a supporting role. Spira's all about Yunie and you now."

"Now, I wouldn't go that far…"

"Hey, it's true! It's not even a bad thing, either! People need someone to cheer for, and you two are perfect examples."

Tidus breathed in deeply for a few seconds.

"So you're going to go through with it, huh? Leave Spira behind for a better world?"

"I think so. It may not be better, but I gotta live life by my own rules now!"

"Good for you, then. You know I'm not gonna tell you what to do. I'll break the news to Yuna and maybe it won't go so bad."

"Thanks."

"Good luck. We'll miss you here."

"I bet. By the way, I figure I might as well tell you I used to have a crush on you."

She hung up the phone, leaving Tidus with that last line for her own humor. Did she really want to leave this world behind? It seemed like an opportunity to do something great again. If she stayed here, she was sure she would have some decent times ahead of her. She'd go to the big wedding, maybe get married herself eventually, and try to cope with being average. After her adventures, though, she strived for more. She wanted accomplishment, a new quest to solve! She had decided it; when the boy came back to her doorstop she would agree to go with him. The decision really should have been more difficult than it was.

The difficult part came in saying all her goodbyes. The list of people to call was long, and by her estimates she only had about fifty minutes to speak with everyone. She poured herself a cup of juice before picking up her telephone. She began with Lulu, her old friend from the quest to beat Sin. She, along with Wakka, didn't take the news too hard. They had a family to care for now, and most ideas of adventure were buried far into the past. Wakka did take a moment to make sure she wasn't losing her mind completely. He probably still didn't believe her.

"You're absolutely SURE you want to do this, ya?"

"Yea, Wakka. I think it's for the best."

Wakka had formed an unlikely bond with Rikku over the years, even in spite of her being from the supposedly hated Al Bhed tribe. Paine took the news much better, though she was still surprised considering she had just seen her earlier in the day. Buddy, her pal from sphere hunting, was speechless, and Shinra was too busy researching his so-called "energy source" to talk. She didn't even bother calling Gippal. The hardest reaction was from Brother, who sobbed continuously as the terrible news was broken to him that his little sister would be going on to bigger and better things.

"What will father think?" Brother shouted in hysteria, in his peculiar mixture of English and Al Bhed.

"Cid? He won't mind. He'll probably just think it's a load off of his chest."

"He does love you, Rikku."

Her voice stopped for the first time in this long chain of phone conversations, and she felt a tear travel down her smooth cheek.

"I know he does, Brother. Just be strong with him. Help him finish rebuilding Home. I might be back soon, I don't know."

"Rikku, life stinks sometimes," Brother replied emotionally. "I don't know why in all Spira you would want to leave, things are nice here. But I guess it's my job to support you. Go with strength."

The decision became more and more complicated as the minutes ticked away. At first it seemed like an easy choice, to leave where she could make a difference. Talking to everyone turned out to have an adverse effect on her psyche. Instead of being encouraged she was doing the right thing by her friends and family, their memories together were reminding her why she should stay, so that they could build new ones.

There was only five minutes left now until the boy's supposed re-emergence, and her mind was a convoluted mess. She wanted to stay, but at the same time her remaining time would be meaningless. As she stood up again, she heard the phone ring one last time. The number was from Tidus, but as she said "hello" the voice was clearly Yuna's. She was angry at first, figuring the former summoner was just chewing her out for her admittance of love to her fiancée. Thankfully it wasn't.

"Rikku, Tidus just finished telling me what you guys talked about."

"Well, what do you think? Ol' Rikku off saving the world again!"

"As your friend I absolutely forbid you from going! Spira needs you."

"Yunie, first of all you're not my mother," she argued in ironically a child-like voice. "I love Spira, but I wanna try something new! They don't need me anymore. The people have you and Tidus. There'll be other heroes too, eventually."

"Who will I go to for advice?" Thought the question seemed meaningful, the tone in Yuna's voice was monotone.

"Talk to Paine or Lulu. They've been there for you as much as I have."

"Then who will be the Maid of Honor at my wedding?"

"This isn't about me, Yunie, is it?"

"What? Of course it is. Just because I'm popular among the people doesn't mean I'm heartless."

"Maybe," she replied shyly, "but you have a picture-perfect plan for your life, and you're scared for something to go wrong. That something seems to be not having me, your security blanket, around. Be like me, accept the change! Don't let your quests stop now."

"But I don't…"

_The time has come. Have you made your choice?_

The voice seemed to pierce through the walls of the house.

"Yunie…forget what I've said. Just make Spira proud." She pulled her hair back, took one last drink of juice, and walked back out into the warmly-setting Sun.

"I'm ready," she told the boy, who had now discarded the robe in favor of a garish vest and pants, one that screamed out against the pleasant backdrop of Luca.

_Okay. Say goodbye to this world._

"Bye, Luca," she said softly. "Goodbye, Kilika, Besaid, Bevelle, Macalania. Good riddance, Thunder Plains. Good luck, people of Home." She closed her eyes, and she felt a slight tingling in her spine as she felt herself floating between time and space. The world was gone. Everything she knew, everything she was familiar with.

_The world you will encounter soon is hardly similar to the one you knew. Things will be tough for you early on, but you are a brave woman._

"Should I be afraid?" she shouted into black oblivion.

_No. Fear of uncertainty is far greater than fear of the inevitable. You have made the right choice, Rikku, and it will be interesting to see where your travels take you._

There was another pause.

_You know? The funny thing is I was going to take you anyway, even if you refused._

"What? Then what was the past hour for?"

_Thought you'd want to say goodbye. Didn't want to be too evil about it._

"What I thought you were all about giving me a choice?"

_I am. There's no guarantee you'll fulfill any sort of destiny in this new world. It's whatever you do with your opportunities that matters._

"Thanks." She felt her body flying in the air, turning all directions and spinning. She rocketed up into the air one last time.

_Good luck._

She fell, and time stopped.

---

A/N: The revisions to the next 2 chapters are a little more substantial as some of the action of the story really starts to get going.

As any writer should I appreciate and look forward to all comments and feedback.


	2. Memory is History

A/N: First of all a brief thanks to all of my reviewers. I can understand a bit why someone could see Rikku as a bit un-Rikku so far in this story; she's not the peppy girl she once was. I don't want to say I'm out to change her image entirely with this story, but I wanted to give her a bit more depth, see how she'd handle an emotional funk. I see her as one of those people that bottles up things for a long time and when she falls, she falls hard. I love comments, though, so feel free to let me know any thoughts generated on the story. To those people who may have read but not reviewed, feedback helps me to get better so the story is better. I'm not one of those lame people that will only write for reviews, though…I love writing for writing's sake. I also will not freak out at negative criticism of my work, either. So feel free to tell me what you think.

On another note I apologize for the wait between chapters, but have to say it won't get much better. I'm working on several projects at once along with a part-time job, but I'll try to get them written as soon as I can without sacrificing quality.

Anyway I hope everyone enjoys the new chapter.

EDIT: Chapter has been revised and changed to fit the FF7 timeline better.

-Chiefie

---

2. Memory is History

A pair of tiny leaves fell onto her face.

Rikku groaned and woke up in a forest of strange lights and colors. The trees looked green and thriving at first, but faded quickly to white. Above her were piles of multicolored leaves placed carefully among the branches. She couldn't see the sky.

She wondered if she was in Macalania, the dying forest where she had traveled so many times before with Yuna and the others. This place, however, didn't feel quite the same. There were no roads of blue and gray, there was no music playing in the background that she usually heard upon entrance. _Maybe I'm in the past, _she thought. _Before Macalania had started to wither. It was probably healthier then._

A radiant green light began flashing at what seemed to be miles away. It blinded her for a moment, but then her natural curiously took over and she began moving towards it, entranced by its glow. There was no one else in sight, not even a creature, and it further drew her attention to the one sign of life she could see before her.

"Gosh, I was hoping they would send me someplace with people," she muttered while moving forward. She turned around quickly, mainly out of sheer bewilderment, to see the opposite horizon; it was sheer blackness. She couldn't even see the trees she had just passed seconds before! It seemed that every step she took caused the world behind her to fade away. The green light grew brighter and brighter in the process.

Maybe she was in a temple somewhere, or maybe she was still dreaming. She was hoping to come up with a decent justification for her situation before reality could sink in. Maybe this world was set up by the boy (or his woman voice) to be an illusion.

She took a few more steps, and the light lunged forward. It pervaded her, surrounded her with nature and a strange feeling of energy. She should have been scared of whatever was going on, but the light's warmth was a comfort. She didn't want it to go away, but within a moment the light began to dissipate, leading her to a new and almost terrifying place.

It looked at one time to have been a great city. Stone walkways decorated the ground, and she could see the faint outline of once-great buildings reduced to cone-shaped rubble along the path's many ends. It was a ghost town, the only commotion being that of her own sandals against the ground and the occasional gust of wind on her hair. Her mouth was open in a mixture of awe and confusion.

She didn't know where to go first. Should she check to the left, a path that circled around a large mountain? Should she go straight, into what appeared to be a cave? She decided to investigate the first building on her right, her method consisting mainly of it being the closest to her present location. Maybe there'd be some clues scattered somewhere. Of course, this longing for information couldn't suppress the feeling that she was trespassing on hollowed ground. There had to be a reason this place was eventually abandoned, and the reason looked to be tragic one. She thought she shouldn't be there. On the opposite end of the spectrum, what else was she to do? She had no money, no means to communication, and definitely no understanding of where she was or how to get out. She needed some form of information to back her up.

The "house" (as she was keen to call it) she approached was shaped like a giant pink seashell. It had been chipped and broken on one side but still seemed to be reasonably livable. However, it didn't have any form of a door other than a large opening alongside the road. She tapped the side of the house's wall; it was pure stone.

The interior was slightly more charming than outside. The floors were made of solid wood, and handrails even decorated the area around a circular pit in the room's center. Inside of the pit seemed to be a black void, making her jump back a few feet in fear of falling in. She noticed a stairway in the back of the room, which was good considering the bottom floor seemed to tell her nothing.

Upstairs she found what she considered to be the valuables. There was a bookcase, a wooden dresser, and even a small bed. It looked like the place had been occupied recently, which made no sense considering the city's state in ruins.

She was most curious about the bookcase, so its shelves were her first destination. She didn't even know what to look for, so she just scanned across titles frantically, searching for anything with the word "Spira" in it. Just something to give her a better understanding of where she was. None of the books were any help in this regard, but she was happy they were at least written in the same language.

"The Ancient Struggles."

"Rumors of the Lifestream."

"A Brief History of Mako."

What in the hell were these books? It sounded like she was in the science fiction department of Luca's bookstore. She kicked the dresser in frustration.

"Owie!" It wasn't the best idea she ever had, and ended up sitting on the bed for a moment to recover. The mattress was soft, though not altogether warm or very large. After a minute she forgot about her bruised little toe and walked back downstairs.

"Oh, well. Better keep…" She didn't finish the sentence, and what was likely the word "looking" was replaced by a petrifying scream.

A flash of red was all she saw at first. Then a pair of strong hands came across her shoulders, pinning her against the rocky house wall. She tried to fight it off with her elbows, but her fighting skills were either too rusty or too weak to do anything.

"Let me go!" she screamed, kicking her legs up in the air. The voice behind her was deep but not necessarily sinister. Then why did he attack? She didn't know what to think of it.

"Who are you?" It questioned. "Why did you come to this place?"

"I didn't mean to come here!" she protested, the grip not loosening in the least. "It happened by accident!"

The man (as it appeared by the voice) scoffed, finally releasing her from his grasp.

"Nobody comes here by accident." He placed his right hand close to a pistol in its holster. He caught a glimpse of his hand, a ghostly pale white. She then looked up at his face, seeing a layer of raven-black hair kept in place by what appeared to be a red bandanna. He looked almost like a Guado, minus the face markings or the general ugliness of the race. He didn't look as callous, either, but her judgment may have very well been off. After all the man was dressed in solid black and red and looked like he hadn't seen the sun in over a decade.

Rikku backed up into the bed, cowering in nervousness. She talked like a helpless child.

"I don't know what's going on, mister, but I promise I'm not out to hurt you or cause any trouble! Just put the gun down and let me talk!"

The man threw part of his hair to one side, chuckling almost to play an evil part that his caring eyes weren't willing to join in.

"And you think you could hurt me. Hmph."

"I could too! I just don't have the right stuff now!" She pouted for a moment, looking up at the man with her green eyes. "You remind me of Auron."

She didn't even realize she said it out loud until the man seemed lost in her comparison. "Who?"

"You know, Sir Auron. The guardian of Lord Braska and then Lady Yuna. He helped to save all of Spira." Maybe if she ranted long enough she'd sound like a crazy.

"All of what?" The "what" wasn't the kind that suggested he didn't hear what was said. It sounded instead like he couldn't believe what he just heard.

"Spira. Haven't you heard a lot about it?" The man shook his head, and she sat down on the bed in frustration. The man did not seem particularly violent anymore, and put the pistol back in its holster.

"I think we should probably get you to a doctor somewhere. You're delusional."

"I am not! I'm perfectly healthy."

"We could have this argument all day." He started pacing back and forth inside the small room, his delicate red cape fluttering across the bookshelf. "I can see from your eyes that you're lost, so it won't do you any good to tell me you're 'healthy.'"

She disagreed mainly for the purpose of doing so.

"I don't like it when people tell me what I can and can't do."

"Then you're going to be wandering around here alone for a very long time."

"I bet you I can find my way." She probably took it a step too far there, playing a game she wasn't ready for.

"Okay. Good luck then." He started to walk down the stairs, making her realize that silliness wasn't going to work on this guy. She yelled out for him to wait and ran down.

"Can you take me to where people are?"

He nodded, walking back out into the gray skies of the abandoned city.

"Your situation troubles me, and I do not seem to know why." He briefly made eye contact with her, causing him to speak with even more distress as he exited the house and went into the gray sky.

"You claim to be from a land that disappeared thousands of years ago, and you don't look or act like anyone I've seen. Then there's those eyes…they look almost mechanical. They're not Mako eyes."

"Mako?" she asked, beaming at the prospect of a mystery to solve. "I'm not a Mako, whatever that is. I'm an Al Bhed, one of the greatest races of people in all of Spira!"

The man didn't respond, instead turning his head down toward the ground again.

"You are extinct. Your mind has somehow become diseased, leading you to believe you're part of something that no longer exists."

She frowned, scooting her feet as they moved towards the cave.

"Okay, so in your mind I'm disturbed. A bit kooky, not all there, weird."

He nodded. "Understood."

"Hey!" She scratched her head. "You weren't supposed to agree…but if that's the case I'm probably stupid too, since I don't know where I am." She pointed at his chest, poking him lightly.

"Tell me all you know."

The man sighed, obviously hating to be put in such a position.

"You're in what is known as The City of the Ancients. According to history this is the sacred ground where the Cetra, or the Ancients, the protectors of humankind, once dwelled and communicated with the planet."

"With the planet? How?"

"Must you ask so many questions?" he asked himself in a cruel bit of irony. "The spirits of the dead channel the Planet's concerns through the Lifestream. Once every living creature enters the Lifestream upon death, their body is transformed into what some call Mako energy. But it is really human spirit, and it is this that the Ancients communicate with."

She was enjoying this banter, but the bit about the "Lifestream" made her stop and wonder. Was this Lifestream an enhanced version of the Farplane? They sounded a bit similar.

"Sounds like the Farplane," she finally got the courage to say. The response was nonexistent as the man's phone began to chime loudly.

"Excuse me." He said, answering his call. "Cid. I will await your arrival at the front of Bone Village. Thirty minutes is fine." He wasn't a real "phone talker," she noticed quickly. He probably gave worse advice than Rin.

"Are you wishing for a ride to Edge?" he asked her immediately upon hanging up.

"That's a city, right?"

"Yes. I have some questions I need answered there. My pilot probably will not mind an extra stowaway."

"He won't mind this one anyway! I can help, I know planes inside out! My brother helps captain a fancy airship called the Celsius."

"Good for him," he mumbled. "Ships are likely different here in comparison to whatever world you came from."

"It's not 'whatever world,' doofus. It's called Spira!" He started to walk the opposite direction, to where trees from the forest made a faint outline behind the stone. She followed a few steps behind.

"I never did catch your name…" she was trying to egg an answer out of him, anything to give her some sort of confidence that she was following the right guy.

"I never gave it." The answer upset her but she still went along with it.

"Well then I'm Rikku, pleased to meet ya!"

"No last name?"

"We never had any use for them." She shrugged.

"So you say. I am Vincent."

"No last name, either?"

He paused for a moment in his steps, turning his pale face around into her eyesight. She shivered a bit as the wind seemed to suddenly pick up and then die again.

"Vincent Valentine." The pair resumed walking.

"So Mr. Valentine…"

"Vincent," he corrected.

"So Vincent, if you say this place we're in is not found on accident, then why in Spira are you here?"

"I don't relate to your expression," he announced coldly, "but I like to think of myself as a protector to this place. Everyone has their position in life, and I am fully content with this being mine. I keep those who would disturb this ground out."

"But what is there to protect other than a bunch of dirty old ruins?" Vincent sneered at the very mention of these things as "dirty," and refused to even make eye contact with her as they ascended the stone steps towards the forest.

"There is more within this city than you will ever understand."

"Then show it to me." She tugged at his cape to gain attention. "Help me to understand it."

"Sadly, I cannot at this moment. Entering the city's most sacred of chambers requires much ceremony, and our time here is short. I feel you may be best to regain your memory if you ever venture inside those walls." She scooted up to his side, hoping to either understand or simply be comforted.

"So you don't think I'm from Spira, do you?"

"It is difficult to believe. We have never had any visitors through time before. Yet I do admit stranger things have happened and you are different from those I have seen. You dress more colorfully." She grasped the shoulder of her orange shirt, not realizing he meant it as a bit of a joke. He lacked in his execution.

Rikku shook her head in disapproval.

"It's not the first time it has happened, you know. My friend Tidus was sent to Spira from 1000 years in the past. A boy sent him there, I guess to help save the world."

"And you?" She seemed to finally have his attention, for his head was fully turned towards hers.

"I was told to come here by a boy, but not in the same way. His mouth opened and closed, but the voice that came out wasn't his. It was a woman's. The sound came from everywhere, the walls, the windows. I can't describe it!"

Vincent grabbed her thin shoulder, pulling her body towards his like he was telling a big secret.

"Hey, careful with the merchandise!" she protested.

"You said it was a woman's voice that told you to come here?"

"Yep. Sure as night and day."

"Then I may have somebody you can talk to. Of course, I'm still not ruling out that you are insane."

"Hey!"

"But I suppose in time we'll figure it out."

It made Rikku smile to know that at least one person was willing to put up with her for a moment. They approached the beginnings of the forest, and Vincent instructed her to hide behind his cape.

"Why should I do that? You think I'm ugly or something?" He tried his best to ignore her while stepping onward.

"This forest can be very choosy about who it lets in and out. I find it best not to tempt it."

The presence of her "guardian angel of the moment" was at least beneficial for changing the forest's appearance. She could see the horizon this time, though the trees did seem to wither away to a white color. The green light was lost entirely.

"I woke up in here. How is that the place looks so different now?"

He was puzzled at first by her words, wondering how she could have possibly woken up in the forest of all places. It took him a moment to come up with a reasonable response.

"The Ancients use the will of this forest to guide its visitors. If you woke up here, then it would seem you were destined to enter the city and eventually find me…"

"…or that I chose to come in and find you. I could've just stayed in one place and cried my eyes out!"

"Very well."

"Maybe we are supposed to save the world together!" She lifted her hands melodramatically into the air, like she almost expected sparks to fly out of her fingertips. "Rikku and Vincent, heroes of the new world! I can see the headlines now." She tried patting the man on the back for encouragement, but he continued walking without response.

"You're such a party pooper."

He shrugged.

"I don't plan on saving the world anymore. My friends and I have done that enough already."

"Really? How?" She was extremely excited with the mentioning of adventure, hoping it would give her something to relate to.

"It's a bit of a long story." The response was depressing, but she continued to push at him.

"Wow…so you're like a celebrity, right? People are trying to meet you every second of the day! I had the same feeling for a while in Spira, it and made me feel great!"

"I prefer to be left alone." He pushed aside some vines along the leafy pathway. Rikku groaned.

"We are almost out of the forest. The airship should be waiting on the other side."

"Good. I just want to see the blue sky again! This place gives me the creeps." They could start to see the outline of a few tents, followed by an enormous chrome piece of metal in the background.

"Ooh, are those tents a city? Can we stop there?"

"I would prefer not to. Bone Village is a cold and dirty place. The people there would eat you alive." Rikku started to argue, but was interrupted by a sudden flash of movement. A large grey beast had jumped out of seemingly nowhere, and Rikku screamed at first from the shock.

"What the hell? I don't believe it…you better get back!"

"No, I can fight as well as anyone else!" The beast roared forward at her, but Vincent nailed it in the side with the shot of a pistol he pulled out from under his cape. Rikku then flipped over it, using the advantage of the bullet wound to knock it on the side with her fists. The beast attempted to slash at her feet with its silver claws, but she jumped out of the way while Vincent fired again. After a few more shots the creature was dead, its ivory teeth still glistening with drool.

Vincent stood almost in shock as Rikku walked back up to his side.

"I do not understand what just happened, but what you did was impressive. How did you learn to fight like that?"

"Lots of training and butt-kicking! I'm a little out of shape, though; hadn't had a good adventure in a while." They had finally exited the forest, and were walking along a dirt road past what looked to be excavation sites.

"There may be more to you then meets the eye, Miss Rikku. Still, that does not explain why a beast appeared here. I've traveled through this forest over a hundred times without a distraction."

Rikku grinned at him, punching the air with her fists.

"I must bring out the worst in it."

"Maybe." It was an interesting situation for the two of them, as one did not seem to be any less confused than the other. Rikku didn't know where she was, but Vincent didn't know why he had been chosen to receive such a visitor. The questions were endless, but the restrictions of the public place prevented many of them from surfacing. There were a few workers in blue uniforms out mining in the chilly air, but they were of little further interest as they approached the metal monstrosity that was the airship.

The structure itself easily put the Celsius to shame. The plane was made of solid grey chrome (it could blind someone on a sunny day), with the exception of black lining along the wings. It was easily twice the size of any ship she had ever seen, leading her to believe the engines were powerful beyond comprehension.

A small ladder had been draped down to the layers of dead grass for the pair to climb up. Obviously this was easier than if they were to actually land.

"Hope you're not afraid of heights," Vincent said as he took initiative to climb first.

"No way! I've been flying ever since I was a little girl!"

"I thought you were still a little girl." There was a platform that Vincent stepped on to after climbing the ladder, and Rikku followed him shortly. She didn't take the time to respond to his insult, either, for she was so enamored with the ship she was standing aboard. If this structure was in her world it would be a marvel to all of Spira.

The platform rose upward electronically, connecting them to the rest of the ship. The brownish-gray cargo hold (as she assumed it to be) was warm and spacious, filled partially with cardboard boxes and a few stables. A large bird called out with a long "kweeeehhhh."

"Chocobos?" she yelled out an excitement. "There's something I know!" She approached the bird in an instant, petting it on the wing before even noticing the color of its feathers.

"Why is it blue?"

"Let's just say it belongs to a friend. We need to keep going." The cargo hold rocked for a moment as the ship started its engines up. It rode smoothly the remainder of the trip.

The two strangely-paired travelers walked into a metal door leading into a hallway. The walls were painted bright red and decorated with picture frames, most of which were of other aircrafts. One such aircraft had a picture of a girl painted onto its side, another was perched on a station as if it was about to shoot up into space.

"The pilot used to fly these a few years ago. He doesn't need to anymore with this ship." Then, without comment, the pair proceeded further, climbing a small flight of stairs. They passed up a closed metal door with the title of "engine room," but figured there was little of interest inside, anyway.

Upstairs Vincent led her to the right, where they found what looked to be two workers in grey uniforms along with the pilot, a thin man wearing a denim jacket.

"I appreciate the ride, Cid," Vincent said immediately to what seemed to be the man in charge.

"No thanks needed, chum!" Cid turned to look at one of the men in uniform. "Take over for a bit. I got talkin' to do."

To Rikku Cid had a demeanor similar to Brother Brother. He was goofy looking with dirty blonde hair, big lips, and a look that suggested that he hadn't shaved in days. However, he also seemed a bit more rugged than her Al Bhed relation, as if this guy wouldn't cry if somebody insulted him (or, in Brother's case, if Yuna rejected him).

"I hope you don't mind me bringing a visitor along with me." Cid walked up from his chair, turning around to see what Vincent was talking about.

"Get yourself a girlfriend, Vince? She don't look like the type I'm used to seeing around here."

"She's not. I mean, she's not my girlfriend or typical of most people." It was the first time in their brief time together that she had seen him stutter with his words.

"Too bad, Vince, too bad. She's quite a looker, probably out of your league, though." Rikku didn't know whether to blush or be disgusted. The pilot, with his dirty brown pants and unshaven beard, had to be at least thirty.

"So what's your name, darling?"

"I'm Rikku," she said softly.

"Don't be afraid to speak up!" he yelled in direct response to her shyness. "Name's Cid Highwind, best pilot you're ever gonna find in these parts."

"My daddy's name is Cid, too!"

"Great," the pilot muttered sarcastically. "I have an old man name."

Cid ran his mouth almost to the extent of the plane's motors. "I've been doing this flying thing for a good many years now, and this new beauty here is my Highwind Mk. 2. I just had her finished last fall." He took in a breath.

"Say, can I interest you in a drink or something? My wife's back in the cabins…she can fix mighty good tea when on the ground, but we got some other good stuff up here."

"I'll have some water, thanks."

"Works for me, sugar." He picked up communicator from the front of the cockpit. "Shera! Come bring our guest a glass of water!"

"Okay…I'll be right there." Shera's voice sounded like the exact opposite of Cid's, quiet and demure. It made Rikku wonder how they ever were married.

He didn't waste any time to resume conversation.

"So Rikku, if you ain't Vince's gal, then why on earth were you hanging around him? He's not the most pleasant of folk to talk to."

Vincent answered the question for her.

"I found her at the Forgotten City wandering around. She claims to be from Spira, part of the Al Bhed race."

"Spira?" Cid exclaimed, his face with a distinct look of shock upon it. "That's buried deep in the history books, missy."

Rikku hesitating, knowing she may not necessarily want to know the answer to her next question.

"How deep?"

"About five thousand years deep by our estimates. In other words, so deep that we have records that the place existed but know very little about it."

Her face froze at she stared out to the clouds. Five thousand years? That was five times longer than Tidus was transported! His hometown was in ruins, so she could only imagine what Besaid, Luca, and even Bikanel would look like. There may not even be anything left! Zanarkand was likely buried completely. She wanted to run out of the cockpit to be alone, but she really didn't have many places to go inside of an airship. All her friends were dead, all her enemies were dead. The entire world she knew was dead.

"Vince, I believe the girl's freaking out."

"I can't believe it!" she screamed, almost hysterically. "Five thousand years? This must be some kooky dream, no way that much time has passed. I'm ancient compared to you guys!"

"Ancient," Vincent muttered in between her shouting. "Interesting choice of words."

It took Rikku's mind a minute to register what he was talking about. Thankfully it also calmed her down.

"Don't get one of those weird ideas into your head! I'm not one of those people, if that's what you're guessing. I don't talk to the planet or have some "Forgotten City" as you called it. I'm just an Al Bhed." Vincent shook his head, probably wondering how out of all the women on the planet he had met up with the obnoxious one. He continued, however, to explain his plight to Cid.

"I thought getting her into Edge could help to clear up her mind. She can see some people and hope that something jogs her memory."

"Of course, if she is some visitor from another time, it would be a good sign some freaky shit is going down." He turned his head back to the communicator. "Shera! Water!"

Rikku felt like she was suddenly taking a back seat to the two men's debate.

"I wish the appearance of Rikku was the only peculiar occurrence of the day, but we battled a monster inside the forest just before we got to Bone Village."

"A monster? There ain't been a sighting there for as long as I could remember. I thought the Ancients were supposed to protect it!"

"As did I. I suspect trouble may be unfolding again."

"Damn it," Cid mumbled. "I haven't heard anything else bad happening, though."

"I am unsure," Vincent replied. "We may just be so used to catastrophe that we expect the worst out of everything now."

A woman, middle-aged and wearing a yellow dress, walked into the room and smiled.

"I brought the water."

"Then why you standing there with it, Shera? Give it to the girl!" Shera looked straight at Rikku, shocked to see another woman on the plane.

"Actually, why don't you two have some girl talk back in the cabin? Vince and I gotta chat for a few alone."

Rikku was pissed off by "Cid the chauvinist" (as she chose to think of him), but she let it slide as Shera motioned to follow her. They walked out of the bridge and across the hall. The cabin area was spacious, with several cubicles set aside for people to rest in. There was a tiny kitchen in the back which was likely the source of the water.

"Does he always treat you like an idiot?" Rikku asked immediately once the door closed. She didn't think that she was coming across as overly curious into a couple's affairs.

Shera huffed in a deep breath, playing with the ends of her brunette hair.

"No, not usually. He likes to act tough in front of the other guys so I let him. He can be nice beyond that."

"Then why don't you get him to be nice all the time?" She took a drink of the water, acting like it was the purest nectar in the world. Before the first sip she didn't realize how thirsty she really was.

"I owe Cid a good bit. I've ruined a couple of his dreams in the past, so the idea that he still stays by me speaks for itself." Rikku started to reply, but she was hushed with a finger.

"Please, don't try to give me advice on it. It must sound like I'm a weak woman to you, but I enjoy my life. I really do."

She sighed, disappointed her opportunity to be helpful was blown. The conversation change was rapid, as she immediately decided to get some valuable information.

"So what's this city we're going to like? Is there lots of pretty colors, people running about the streets cheering?"

"To be honest, no." Shera was trying her best to smile, as if she was informing her of an accident. "Edge has never exactly been a place for joy. It's getting better, but at a very slow pace."

Rikku proceeded to tell her story to this point, about how she had been transported and met up with Vincent. Shera was confused more so than the two men, being that she was of fragile mind and unaccustomed to such fantasy.

"Interesting," was all the woman could manage to say.

"I'm sorry to jump on you with all that!" Rikku exclaimed in defense. "I just wanted to see if you could tell me what I should do when we get to Edge."

Shera bowed her head for a moment, twiddling the fabric of her dress between her tiny hands.

"You should come along with Cid and me. We're going to visit some old friends, and maybe one of them will have something useful to tell you."

"Sounds good!" Rikku replied. Staying with them seemed to be the best option, since she was clueless still as to her mission. That stupid voice never told her what exactly she was to do once she arrived.

"Where's the creepy…I mean, where's Vincent going to be during all this?"

"He said he has some business to deal with about some strange markings he found deep within the Forgotten City."

"What kind of markings?"

"He wouldn't say. He may have something else planned now." The two of them stared blankly for a moment, giving Rikku a chance yet again to analyze the situation and come up with no answer. She wondered what Vincent meant by "strange markings," or by any of his demeanor in general. He seemed to be a good man, but one terribly disillusioned with the rest of the world. What happened to him? She was going to make an effort to find out just as soon as she found out what had happened to herself. Other than she was a terrible five thousand years into the future, little else appeared sound. These people didn't even appear sound! She didn't know if she could trust them or not, but at this point she had to. She was aboard their ship, following their orders. She was a slave to their words.

Rikku and Shera's bodies quivered briefly as the speaker inside the cabin buzzed, carrying in the captain's voice.

"We've arrived at Edge, you two. Take everything that's meant to be taken, for we're sure as hell not coming back for a damn purse."

Rikku smiled for moment, stretching her arms and looking forward to whatever lied outside those metal doors.

"Looks like it's time to see the world!" she exclaimed, leaving Shera in the dust as she started her journey. She ran straight into Vincent (almost head-on) in the hallway, causing a brief scowl from him and a giggle from her.

As she scampered down the flight of stairs to the cargo hold, a thought appeared in her mind; strangely, though, it was not her own.

_I'm glad to see you've found a good group. Welcome to your new home._

---

A/N: Before you press that "review" button, I would like to pose an issue for potential critics to discuss if they see fit (I'll probably do this several times through my fic). With this story I am attempting to create something that is both familiar and fresh…though this may be a crossover I don't want it to ever feel like I'm meshing characters together to just be cute. Let me know if you ever think I'm focusing too much on the crossover aspect of the story rather than the plot; I hope I never do. I'm trying to introduce information bit by bit, so that you the loyal reader get to have the fun with speculation. Hopefully I'll be talking to you again soon.


	3. Feelings to Feel

A/N: Hello again to everyone and thank you for all the wonderful feedback! The attention this story has gotten has been better so far than anything else I've written here. Keep it coming! Like I said last chapter, though, I'd write even if nobody read it.

Anyway I hope you enjoy the new chapter. It's a bit talky but there are many important clues within here to what is about to happen to Rikku and the world around her. See if you can figure them out.

EDIT: I apologize (again) for taking so astronomically long, but the edit in this chapter is the most substantial. Please read, even if you have already done so.

---

3. Feelings to Feel

She was finally starting to understand how Tidus must have felt when she saved him at Baaj Temple.

The feeling they had shared back then was bizarre, almost funny. It was like they had arrived on a blind date without anything to say. Tidus surely didn't know where he was, and Rikku didn't know how a strange but somewhat handsome man showed up in an abandoned temple. Their words were awkward, and their actions even worse. Though some of the foes they faced were weak, the uncertainty between them made her feel like she was fighting for her life.

Nevertheless she did enjoy the time she had spent with him. He was like a lost puppy not ready to take on the world. Taking care of someone else, especially when she was only fifteen, was an amazing boost of confidence.

Yet it had seemed like he was gone just as soon as he had arrived. Their tiny boat was no match against Sin. She had cried for some strange reason when he floated away, didn't know why. He was just some strange guy that had showed up, without seemingly any understanding of the world around him. He was oblivious, and as his temporary guardian she felt responsible for everything that happened to him.

Now it was her turn for the experiment. She was now the lost one, forcing herself to be led through the streets of Edge by Cid and his kind wife. The dark and guarded man, Vincent, had run ahead upon arrival to "take care of some business." She didn't have any idea what he meant, but she hoped it would lead to her figuring some things out beyond the terrible shock of being thrust five thousand years into the future.

Entering Edge to Rikku felt like entering a blitzball dome. The gate to enter was made of medal and surrounded by glass. What were they keeping out? In blitz it was the spectators, the noise, the polluted air. Here all of that was on the inside. Cid said the protection was a holdover from the old city, which was called Midgar. He said it was destroyed, but didn't bother to elaborate.

Alongside the dirty streets there were men in tattered clothes selling fake jewelry, and Cid had to shove her in between himself and Shera to make sure she didn't do anything stupid.

"Hey!" she protested while being sandwiched," "maybe the poor guy just needs some help."

Cid shook his head. "Girl, you really are stupid, aren't ya?"

"I'll have you know I'm very smart! I was the prodigy of Home when it came to constructing Machina."

"I guess prodigies weren't required to learn that bums only want two things from girls like yourself: money and sex. Unless you want to give one of those things away, I can't see you having much fun with him."

Rikku scowled, looking at Shera for condolences but received none. They walked past a few buildings, each one missing one critical part of its architecture. For one it was the roof, next a well, next a door. She thought it looked like a trash pit.

"I thought you guys said Edge was a great city." Cid laughed.

"It all depends on what you call great. If you like dark and ugly places that smell like shit, then this would be the Promised Land!"

"Cid." Shera glared at him condescendingly.

"All right, I'm sorry! I guess I've never been too keen on the place. There are some good joints around here, though, they're just hard to find. Kinda like the place we're heading to; if I didn't know Edge I'd never end up there."

"Is that where we're going?"

Rikku pointed up the dirt road towards a red brick and stone building lying among trace amounts of grass. There was a gigantic hole in roof in between stained glass windows, making it look just about as terrible as ever other building she had laid her eyes upon. However, for some reason she saw the place differently, as a comfort. It looked warm, like it had at least been tried to be loved and cared for. It looked like nobody seemed to give a damn about much else in the city.

After suggesting the building Cid and Shera almost froze in thought. They knew the significance of that building very well, along with the memories of it that lay inside of their dear friends. They said nothing in response, hoping the girl would drop the topic and move on to other buildings or people. Heck she could even rattle on about some more bums if she'd forget what she'd seen. Yet she persisted on the same topic.

"Is that a bell at the top?"

"Yeah," Cid replied gruffly. "It's a church."

"A church? That must mean a temple is nearby!"

"I know of one, but it's not really that close…" Shera trailed off her comment, realizing that Cid may not have wanted her saying anything about it.

"That temple was destroyed, anyway," Cid added harshly.

Rikku shook her head in disbelief, wondering how religion could slip off the tongues of these people so easily. "You don't seem to care much about it. Did Yevon betray you, too?"

"Yevon? What the hell's that? Sounds like some kind of insurance."

She paused for a moment to collect her thoughts.

"Yevon is the being that all of Spira put their faith in to save us from Sin, an evil monster bent on ruining our world. When me and my friends went to defeat Sin, we found out the truth: Yevon was the reason the beast kept coming back! We were kinda scared to tell everyone about it, though. Yevon was what all the folks in Spira looked to for strength. If you don't have Yevon, then what do you look for here?"

Cid shrugged his shoulders.

"Not dying. As long as I don't do that I know I'm figuring to be pretty damn good."

"Why don't we change the subject?" Shera interrupted, her voice trailer to a whisper as she neared Rikku's ear. "A lot of people here don't like talking about the church. It's a holdover from Midgar." The focus of the conversation quickly went to happier things. Things like friends.

"I suppose we haven't told you who we're going to see."

"No," Rikku replied with a sudden laugh. "But it'd be great to know. Don't want to look loony in front of guests."

They passed a shack on their left, decorated with a large wooden sign reading "Streetside Supermarket." A man in dirty brown pants was entering.

"We're going to see Tifa. She's a friend of Cid's from a few years ago. They did a lot of traveling together." Shera's words zapped Rikku back into the world around them and away from the rather ugly surroundings. The man in the grocery had already disappeared.

"What does the Tifa girl do now? Was she one of the ones that saved the world?"

"Sure is!" Cid interjected. "Actually, I'm still pretty sure Tifa could kick my ass if I stood still long enough. She's a tough girl. Nice, but tough as hell if you cross her."

"And we are going to see her why?" Rikku was starting to get turned off slightly by the idea of sitting around with a group of old friends. They'd all know the stories and she'd be left out; she hated doing that with Buddy and Brother at Home. Her mind told her it would be far more irritating here.

"Not like we got much else to do right now. Vince wanted to go do his thing alone, and Tifa's place is as good as any to relax." There was a large fence to Rikku's right, the other side littered with black and grey ruins of something enormous. She made a note to ask about it later and kept walking as they entered another residential neighborhood, if you could call it that in between the rusted siding and dirty streets. Rikku stepped carefully and spoke a bit softer.

"I don't wanna seem like I'm prying into your life, but…"

"Don't worry about it!" Cid interrupted. "You're ignorant and stuck with us, so I figure you're gonna want to know some stuff."

"Okay…why are you guys flying Vincent around like this? Did your "saving the world" quest bring you that close?"

"Kinda," Cid answered, his face almost even blushing at the mention of friendship. "It has more to do with me owing Vince a couple of favors for some trouble I've been in."

"And what about your quest? What did you do?"

"We'll talk about it in there. I ain't much for telling stories without a beer in my hand." Cid pointed up to a building situated in the northwest corner of town, one that appeared a bit more stable than the others. The wood and medal along the sides was clean, and a small sign on the side post read "Tifa's Seventh Heaven/Strife Delivery Service."

"Looks nice," Rikku whispered. The thoughts inside her mind were much more doubtful, including those that suggested she had lead herself into a group of criminals. These people did something magnificent (or so they claim); wouldn't they live in someplace nicer than the prettiest building in the slums?

Cid opened the door into the building, and she stupidly expected him to hold it open for her. The door struck her clear across the forehead. She screamed.

"You…jackass!" Cid ran back out of the building in a flash.

"Hey! Why aren't you watching what's in front of you. I'm not a slave, open the door yourself next time!"

"She doesn't know you yet, Cid," Shera argued, but in an unconvincingly soft tone. "You have to at least be nice to people that expect you to be nice."

Cid walked back inside, mumbling curses and scratching his forehead. In some corner of his mind he was probably thinking he wasn't getting any sex from Shera later. Rikku was too busy clinging at her forehead to think about anything.

Once she made it inside a woman in a long black skirt and top greeted her. There was TV flashing lights in the right corner, meaning the woman was likely bored before their arrival.

"So how's it going, Cid? Seems like it's been forever since you came by" The woman sat behind the bar and grinned, pulling her arms up over her head and stretching.

Cid patted his hand along the wooden bar.

"I was here last month, girl. You forgotten already?"

"No, it just seems like it's been longer. Business has been shoddy lately. I mean, look around you!" The bar was empty, with the exception of a heavyset man who appeared to be passed out at a corner table.

"Drunk people aren't much company." She now noticed that her visiting party was one person larger than expected.

"Oh, did you two make a new friend?"

"Her? Nah, she's more of a stowaway. Doesn't know what the hell anything is."

"Shut up!" Rikku pointed. "I know lots more than you think I do!" She calmed down with a few breaths, and sat down at the front of the bar.

"Hi, I'm Rikku. Happy to meet ya!"

"Tifa Lockheart." The two shook hands. "Can I get you something to drink?"

Rikku smiled. "I'll just have some water, thanks."

"No problem." She handed her a plastic bottle, before opening up a can of beer for Cid.

"The usual, right?"

"Hell yeah!" Cid took the can from Tifa and drank it like it was sacred. Tifa ignored him and decided to spark up some sort of conversation, though she knew it would be awkward with a new member.

"What brings you to Edge, Rikku?"

"I'm not too sure…people, I guess." She wasn't sure whether to tell the truth or spit out casual lies. Cid took care of the indecision.

"Tifa, the girl thinks she's from Spira. Says a woman's voice told her she was meant to come here."

"Really? How bizarre." She could tell that Tifa didn't believe a word of it. "So I take it you're just keeping her around until she is reacquainted with the world."

"Kinda. Vince is checking up on it. He thinks Cloud might be able to help, since he's the only one of us that's used to hearing voices." Cid cackled a bit at the last remark, making it almost impossible to discern whether or not it was a joke or pure fact.

"Wait." Tifa now sounded completely serious. "You don't think it could be…"

"I dunno," he shrugged. "Doesn't seem possible, I admit. No way can she communicate with people five thousand years before birth."

"Who?" Rikku questioned. "Who couldn't communicate with me?"

Tifa pulled Cid over to have some sort of secret meeting. Unfortunately neither one of them was particularly good at whispering. Shera, who stood a few feet over, looked insulted not to be included but understanding at the same time she would have offered very little in terms of input.

"So you think we should let her know about everything?"

"I don't see why not. She don't look like the type to bite us in the ass."

"I know, but we of all people know not to judge appearances. We all thought we could trust Cait Sith, too. Then he went and gave up the Keystone!"

"We ain't got anything to hide this time. Just go with me; I'll take the blame if she screws up."

The members of this "secret meeting" spun around simultaneously. Tifa took the reigns of the conversation, which was good considering she was the better speaker.

"The girl we've been talking about is Aeris, the last member of the Ancients. Vincent apparently thinks she's connected to you somehow."

"Why don't we just find out?" Rikku asked, still pretty much oblivious to everything.

"Mainly 'cause Aeris is dead," Cid answered coldly. "She was stabbed through the heart by Sephiroth."

"Who?"

"Sephiroth. The most crazy-ass bad guy we ever had to fight. He was basically trying to absorb the planet's energy so he could be some kind of god."

"And you guys stopped him?"

"I suppose so. Aeris helped out, too, in some weird dead-girl sort of way."

"She used the power of the Lifestream to summon Holy," Tifa clarified, recognizing that very few people could actually understand Cid's babble.

"After she died Aeris spoke through Cloud's subconscious, telling us what to do to save the planet. Up until now we hadn't heard of her speaking through time…it's not possible by human standards."

Eventually Cid and Shera gravitated to a nearby table, and Rikku and Tifa quickly followed. It wasn't like there were many customers to take care of, so standing in front of the bar seemed pretty useless.

Early on, Rikku seemed to be the most enthusiastic of the four. She was becoming more and more excited by the second, as the information began to pour out of her hosts' minds. She had more questions, more desire to piece things out! The others probably felt like they were being interrogated.

"How long ago was all of this?"

"I guess about four years, the first time." Tifa grinned. "Then we had to do again two years later to stop three men bent on fulfilling Sephiroth's prophecy." Rikku felt a strange nagging inside her, realizing the coincidences between the two worlds were starting to add up.

"You know, I think I got more in common with you guys than I thought. You three have done your part to save the world, and so did I. We took care of our threats, and all of us are now struggling to figure out what to do with the rest of our lives. It's crazy, but you want to keep doing things to feel important."

"Actually," Cid shrugged, "I haven't been depressed about not fighting at all. The less I have to hang my ass on the line the better."

"Same here," Shera added.

"But don't you ever feel like we don't really do anything anymore?" The protest came not from Rikku, but from Tifa. "We had our few months of fame, and then everyone, the ones we saved and even the ones we loved, slowly forgot about us." Tifa leaned forward, her fists clenched up.

"Sometimes don't you wish we had one more chance to do something together? I think Cloud needs it. His mind has been…everywhere lately. He's rarely even here."

"Where does he go?" Rikku asked out of curiosity.

"Who knows? I hear he's been all over the world, searching for something. It's just that nobody can ever figure out what he's looking for. Fighting is an endless cycle, but I think it's that cycle Cloud needs to survive."

Cid and Shera were becoming bored quickly with this new conversation, so they decided to shift it quickly in a new direction.

"So Tifa, what've you been watching on TV?"

"Oh, just a headline on the news. Apparently a big meteorite crashed up near Knights Island. They're saying it's the biggest one to strike the planet in a century."

"Great," Cid replied sarcastically. "Some fish died, but why the hell should I care?"

"You don't have to; I just think it's kind of interesting. We're really lucky that it didn't crash on land. Anyway, Shinra's sending some scientists out to—"

"Wait," Rikku interrupted, her voice more intense than it had been during the entire conversation.

"Who's sending scientists out there?"

"Shinra," Tifa repeated casually. "Why so tense? Back in Spira is that a bad word or something?"

"No. I just used to know a kid named Shinra! He was a little genius that toyed around with equipment all day!" She stood up (nearly kicking her chair over) and began pacing back and forth along the floor.

"It must be the link! I knew there had to be a link in there somewhere." She sounded like a maniac to her three hosts, and the passed-out man in the corner would likely think the same were he awake.

"This Shinra guy…where does he live? Maybe he can tell me something."

"It's not really a guy so much, though there is a man named Shinra." Tifa stared down as she spoke to shield her face from any possible reaction. "Shinra was the most powerful corporation in the world. They're still around, but their foundation was rocked pretty hard four years ago by us. See, getting rid of Shinra was actually the reason many of us banded together in the first place. They were sucking the energy right out of the planet and turning it into a resource."

"I used to be in connection with those Shinra Bastards," Cid muttered in contempt. "They betrayed me."

"Shinra destroyed Cloud's life," Tifa added. "That's why I fought them." Even with her looking down, Rikku noticed a certain light in her eyes. She was smiling so slightly, and trying to hide it from everyone else. Tifa had a crush on this Cloud guy…it was terribly obvious but kind of cute. She wouldn't let the secret loose in front of everybody; she chose instead to go on with the topic at hand, which included standing up for her old friend.

"I guess Shinra must seem like crooks to you guys, but the Shinra I knew was kind and caring. It has to be the same guy…I remember him talking about the idea of using the planet as energy. Somebody must have done something to him! He was ambitious, but he wouldn't try to hurt anybody."

"Good ideas fall into bad hands, Rikku," Shera said softly. "It's a saying we all know very well here."

"Probably. But I still won't let those crooks make my friend look bad! Somebody take me to Shinra so I can give 'em a piece of my mind!"

"Don't get your panties in a bunch, girl." Cid's comment quickly received a punch from Tifa in return, followed shortly by one from Shera.

"To put it a bit more lightly," Tifa stated with a continued glare at Cid, "There's no way you could get into Shinra if you tried. The place is guarded so heavily that you wouldn't be able to get past the front door."

Rikku's eyes were sad, and she was looking up at her friends like she was begging for candy.

"Even if I told them my story?"

"Even if you did. Actually, they would probably think you were insane. If you want to get access to Shinra, you'll have to get it through Vincent. He has a couple of old friends on the inside there."

"And he's gone right now."

"Yeah, but he'll be back soon."

Rikku puffed out her lips, suddenly not feeling like talking to any of these people. Certainly they all seemed nice enough (even Cid the Chauvinist to an extent), but she didn't know what in the world they had to offer her in terms of service. The bar owner, Tifa, seemed like nothing more than a carbon copy of herself in Spira, lost and without purpose. The two people that it seemed could truly help her figure things out, Vincent and this Cloud character, were nowhere to be seen. Suddenly she felt frustrated being in the presence of them.

"I'm gonna go take a look outside," she said to the group, rising to her feet and dusting off her khakis. As she walked out of the bar she could hear them debating whether or not it was safe to her to wander about alone. Cid said something along the lines of "she's old enough to make her own decisions," and she was honestly glad to hear it after being treated like a baby for most of the past day.

Outside the Sun was starting to disappear back into the horizon, leaving Edge under the fog of lamps and pollution. She sat down in front of the Seventh Heaven bar and unleashed a long sigh.

"Whoever that lady was that sent me here," Rikku groaned, "I wanna smack her on the head for not sending me after all the good stuff happened."

"And why is that?"

The voice made her jump a foot in the air, and a dark hand covered her mouth. Vincent climbed into the light from whatever darkness he was hiding in, and she breathed a sigh of relief it wasn't somebody else.

"I'm gonna get you for that!" Vincent laughed under his breath for a moment before standing next to Rikku at the bar's steps.

"Are you going to answer my question?"

"I guess, but I wasn't really talking to you. You guys have been through a lot, right? Killed a bunch of bad guys?"

"You could say that."

"Those three in there don't look like they're about to go punch something out. Cid's chugging beers and Tifa is feeling sorry for herself. They were talking about what was on TV! Everything seems so over now."

"Nothing is over." Vincent paced back and forth, his cape fluttering and keeping his face from much of the light. "If you think there will be no more fighting you are most certainly a fool."

"If they fighting ain't over then why aren't we sitting around? I'm starting to think this Cloud guy has the right idea."

Vincent shook his head in disdain.

"You obsess too much about the now. We cannot run blindly into battle, and Cloud will need to learn that also. Our next mission will come with patience, and it may come from the most unlikely of places."

Rikku was ignoring most of his words. She didn't want to be given constant advice. She wasn't used to it! The whole idea of it was irritating as hell. She thought about just running away right there to find a mission. She'd clobber any enemy in her way and show these lazy bums what was up!

Then again, she didn't know the enemy even was. Vincent could see the animosity through the impatient tapping of her right foot.

"Rikku, I am not forcing you to stay here. If you think you are better elsewhere, go. I am walking inside; it is your choice whether or not to follow."

"Wait!" Rikku shouted out only to see the door slamming. Thankfully this time she avoided hitting it head-on. Everyone inside (including the passed-out drunkard) had remained in their previous position, with Vincent sitting where she previously was.

"Hey! That's my seat!"

"Didn't know you were coming back." Vincent stood up and found another chair for her. At least he was somewhat a gentleman unlike other people in the room. After placing it in front of her, though, he waited along with everyone else for an explanation for her actions. Rikku backed up for a moment in defense.

"Sorry, I was just having some crazy thoughts. I'm used to flying around like a bullet…slowing down to talk is hard." She scratched her arm and threw down her hands. She turned her eyes towards Vincent.

"They told me about the Shinra place. I want to go there."

"I figured you might."

"Why? Did you know about this all along?"

"About a connection between them and Spira? Not entirely. I thought I remembered Shinra originating during your time, but I wanted to do some research first to be certain."

"Well then, are you certain?" said Cid, who apparently was growing more anxious to get to the point. For the first time all night it seemed him and Rikku had something in common.

"I apologize for the anticipation; you see, what I was able to discern about Shinra is based upon a book that I found. However, it is a book that is likely not an honest account of how the company was started. It said the business was founded by a young man during the age of Spira, and that much I am inclined to believe."

"That must be true then! Shinra was a little creepy, but he helped me out hundreds of times! I just don't see how something he created could have turned as evil as you say it has."

"Judging from what I read I can understand your stance perfectly. Shinra probably had nothing to do with the direction of the company. He needed money to get it going, didn't he?"

"I guess," Rikku said, scratching her head in thought.

"He borrowed from investors. Investors that eventually became greedy. Problem was according to this book that developing energy from the Lifestream was expensive. When the investors wanted better production, they took desperate measures. Your friend Shinra had his company "bought out" a few years before his death. My guess is he was forced out to save money. Then…"

"Vince! I got a question."

"What?" He glared at Cid for interrupting.

"If this Shinra kid was kicked outa the company then why the hell does Rufus have the last name Shinra?"

"They probably just told whoever was leading the company to change his last name to Shinra. It's a rather stupid answer I know, but appears to be closest to the truth. It's a clever marketing practice."

Rikku puffed out her lips at the mention of Shinra's demise. Yet as she thought about it more and more, it became more logical how it happened. Though the kid was an unparalleled genius, he was naïve and easy to trick. She wanted to choke the people responsible, but she knew that it would not due any good. The people that did this to Shinra, they were likely fossils at this point along with everyone else she knew.

Vincent had yet to start his story back up, so she took the liberty of holding him off.

"I don't really care so much about the company history. They just sound like a bunch of crooks. Get to the good stuff!"

Vincent grinned, or at least made the best attempt at one he could manage.

"I see you are getting smarter. Actually most of the book was a detail of the various "charitable operations" the company has performed over its long lifespan. The real story wasn't there. It is probably buried so deep that even employees aren't allowed a look."

Vincent stopped, his mouth acting limp as if talking so much was a chore. Rikku couldn't let him catch a breather yet, though. Curiosity of knowing everything was driving her insane.

"What about Spira? What happened to it? What happened to the Al Bhed?" Shera and Cid had lost interest with the speed of the questions and now took a moment to mumble quietly. Tifa appeared remotely interested but mildly lost.

Vincent shook his head in despondence.

"Of most of that I cannot say. The book referenced a "very dark age" in the surrounding world but failed to make note of precisely what happened. My guess is the destruction of Spira and the Al Bhed were likely hand in hand."

Rikku moaned in frustration.

"That doesn't help at all! My people are extinct, I'm stuck here, and I still don't have any reason as to why!"

"Calm down," Tifa instructed, excited to be useful for the first time in a while. "Life will get better in a bit. It's been a long day." Rikku wanted to give her a mean glare but it was Vincent's turn to cut her off.

"Hopefully you will get more answers tomorrow, for I hope to make another visit to Headquarters."

"You better take me this time!"

"I suppose I have no way around it. I couldn't spend too much time today focusing on your troubles. I had other business there."

"Doing what?"

"A number of things. There were some markings I found at the Ancient City that I needed to investigate. Turns out they are more or less graffiti from a thousand years ago. They mean nothing." He turned his head to Tifa.

"Have you spoken with Cloud?"

"No, and I've tried at least ten times." She frowned, but did not seem to be as upset as she expected out of a lovesick woman. Rikku thought Cloud to be quite a jerk to leave her like this. Apparently he did it often, too.

Matters did not get better upon Vincent's response.

"Really? He answered immediately to me. Said he would be back in town in the morning. Unfortunately he did not tell me a meeting place…I hoped he would contact you."

"No," Tifa let loose a long sigh before letting her pale arms swing to her sides.

"We will let Rikku speak with Cloud about this girl…"

"…they think it might be Aeris," Rikku interrupted, only to have Vincent respond just as quickly.

"I doubt it. Even an Ancient as powerful as Aeris cannot travel through time. Yet if there is any truth behind this theory, Cloud should be able to help." His voice cut off quickly, giving Rikku the weird impression that Aeris was a sensitive subject.

The four of them sat in silence for another five minutes or so. What else was there to talk about? Rikku wanted to ask more questions, but she honestly didn't think her brain could handle it at this point. Was all of this even real? Everything happened so quickly she couldn't be sure. Cid and Shera looked worn out, almost to the point where they could join the bum in the corner.

Then, suddenly, the drunk stood up, wiped the crumbs of the front of his dirty t-shirt, and grumbled to himself.

"Guess I better be getting home now…" he slammed the door behind him.

"I thought that guy was dead when I first got in here." The party shared a laugh at Rikku's comment, though it was an uncomfortable laugh which Tifa ended.

"That guy's name is Heidegger. He used to be a big shot at Shinra before losing his job a few years ago. Since then he's drank himself out of sanity."

"Basically to where if you had asked him a question about Shinra, he probably woulda punched you." Cid cackled at his own joke (though no one else did) before slowly rising to his feet.

"Okay gents, it looks like the lady and I better be heading out to bed. Got a room at a hotel down the road."

"Good," Tifa replied sarcastically. "I know how wild Shera can get."

Vincent used Cid's departure to create his own excuse.

"I suppose I should follow suit. Hopefully when Cloud arrives we can pay Shinra another visit."

"Sounds good," Rikku said back with a smile, one brighter than she had used the rest of the day.

"By the way, I haven't really thanked you at all for helping me out…I'm not good at this, either, so I'll be quick." Her mind blanked for a moment before she realized she forgot to even say what she meant to.

"Oh…thanks!"

Vincent laughed briefly, stretching his legs before following his companions out into the dark.

"My pleasure." The door slammed shut.

"Hold up! Where am I supposed to sleep?"

"I got a place for you," Tifa said from behind her. "While you were outside we decided you could stay downstairs. It's pretty comfy and away from all those boys."

"Good," Rikku said, sharing a laugh like she used to have with Yuna at times before her celebrity destroyed her.

The next question slipped out before she could stop herself. She knew she wasn't supposed to meddle, especially in the life of a relative stranger.

"So how long have you been crushing on Cloud?"

Tifa's white face turned a pale red in a split-second, which she attempted to cover up at first. Once she realized it was utterly useless to hold back, she just decided to deal with another person knowing her supposed "secret."

"So how obvious is it?"

"Pretty obvious. Cloud would have to be pretty dense not to catch on."

"Oh, but you don't know Cloud like I do. I could call him pet names and he'd never know what was going on."

Tifa started to wipe down the front counter, eliminating what little stains of alcohol there were from the rather uneventful night of business.

"I suppose you're going to want some sleep pretty soon, huh?"

"Yea. I feel like I'm about to fall over on the floor!"

"Funny." Tifa threw the rag down on the bar. "Sorry if I don't seem too friendly tonight, it's been a pretty crazy day for me, too. Tomorrow will be better; I'll even take you dress shopping before you head to Shinra. That is if you want to."

"Sure! At this point I don't care what I wear…these probably smell so gross right now."

"I'll take you, it's not a problem. Hey, you gotta look good to meet the most corrupt company on the planet!" She meant it as a joke, but wasn't sure if Rikku got it or not. Thankfully she shifted conversation quickly.

"Anyway, there should be a bed made up downstairs. Feel free to move some stuff if you need to. It's honestly a mess."

"So Miss Tifa's a slob, eh?"

"Kind of…only sometimes…okay, I am a slob." The two shared a quick laugh.

"See you tomorrow."

"You, too. Thanks for the room!" Tifa instructed her to stand next to an arcade machine in the corner, and strangely she felt herself being lowered down. It was a silly trap door to have, or so she thought. Why in the world did they need this?

The basement looked like it had been recently renovated. The walls were painted a dark green to compliment wood flooring. Yet there were extension cords and circuits everywhere (most of them put up to keep from being a fire hazard). It looked like the place doubled as some sort of electric hub.

She found her bed in the corner, and as she walked over to it she could not keep the strange thoughts from entering her mind. What was special about that church they had passed earlier? Who really was this Aeris person? Was Cloud cute enough to warrant Tifa liking him? Of course she couldn't answer any of them until morning.

As she slipped off her sandals and prepared to have a much-needed sleep, she noticed a pair of bright green orbs down by her feet. Were they some kind of ornaments? They looked pretty.

Rikku picked the orbs up, curious really as to their strange glow. They had almost a plasma-like feel to them, but at the same time the outside shell felt hard like glass.

"Tifa's got some weird stuff down here," she mumbled to herself. "I wonder if they're some sort of new-age item."

Out of curiosity, she started rolling them around in her hands, tossing them up lightly. Then she tried pressing them into one another. Didn't seem like it would work; they felt more like solid objects than something that could be molded. She took them side by side in her hands, sliding one across the other. It didn't appear successful at first, but the two orbs slowly clung together and swirled about.

"What in all of Spira is going on?" she whispered. It was like the forces within each orb battled for a second, but a single one was eventually produced by the fusion. It was a slightly darker green, but not any larger than the previous two were.

Rikku was shocked. She stared down at her hands, wondering what she had just done.

"I don't think that was supposed to happen…" The newly-formed orb lay before her. It held a secret, disguised it, and taunted her with it in the darkest of dreams.

---

A/N: I know it's a bit of a cliff-hanger, but the next chapter will be worth it trust me. The story is about to take off, so let me know what you think!


	4. The Reintroduction

A/N: I suppose I've probably lost all of my readers in the time it's taken me to write something new. If you haven't glanced over the old chapter, RE-READ them. There are some subtle differences, primarily in locations. I messed up with my timeline a bit, and as this is a story that takes place AFTER AC and Dirge (though I won't be referencing Dirge much, because I didn't really care for the story) the geography needed to be somewhat accurate. There's not a major difference between my depiction of Edge and Midgar…the Midgar locations are what I like so most of them carry over into what is now Edge.

I decided to name this chapter "The Reintroduction" because it works for both the characters and myself. It's an introduction to the new Gaia, and a reintroduction to the story. Enjoy.

--

Rikku looked about with dire curiosity. The streets were made of dirt, the shops were poorly constructed with slabs of wood and metal, and yet it was like she was back in Zanarkand Ruins. Every "we're open" sign, every item in storefront windows, was wonderful and awe-inspiring.

"So what did you say this place was called again?"

"Wall Market, though it's actually more like Wall Market 2.0. Much of the old one was destroyed, but a lot of the shop vendors stuck around and opened up new places. Unfortunately, business has been a little slow lately."

Tifa was right. The streets were for the most part empty except for the occasional salesperson attempting to persuade them that their shop was better than any other shop. Rikku was comfortable and pleasant after what proved to be a comfortable night of sleep and relaxing morning. Vincent had went away early to find Cloud, and Cid and Shera were staying back at Seventh Heaven just in case some early-morning customer actually decided to stop by.

After the bizarre incident with the colored orbs the night before, Rikku had been a little on edge to see if what she did was natural or not. She wanted to just muster up the courage and ask Tifa, but at the same time she didn't want to look too much sillier than she already did. Apparently in this fantastic new world of "Gaia" women prefer to wear short dresses over khakis, so she already felt pretty awkward walking around like a 5000-year anachronism.

Luckily Tifa offered to change that with a visit to the dress shot, saying they'd "find something cute." Having "girl time" was weird, though, when you don't really know the girl you're supposed to be spending time with.

"So how long have you known Cloud?" Rikku finally asked upon walking past what appeared to be an item shop.

"How long? Wow, I never thought such a basic question would be so complicated. I don't really know if I've ever known the real Cloud."

"How so?"

Tifa shrugged. "Cloud is not exactly your average guy. He's…distant, to say the least. His time in SOLDIER made him that way. He's the perfect example of Mako gone bad."

The two girls finally approached a small wood-paneled shop at the far end of the market.

"Why don't we talk more about Cloud later? We don't always have to be so serious." Tifa ushered Rikku inside, and they were immediately met with a loud "good morning" from Sama, the slightly overweight but kindly seamstress.

"What brings you in today, Miss Lockhart?"

Tifa smiled. "We're looking for something for my friend Rikku here to wear. She's a bit ignorant towards the modern trends."

"I'll say!" The seamstress said, looking at the Al Bhed girl's clothes with shock. "Where is she from, Mideel?"

"Um…close to it, yeah," Tifa lied.

"We better fix her up then." Sama then started to circle Rikku like a vulture looking at its prey, poking and prodding and occasionally staring.

"Hey, I'm not a mannequin!" Rikku protested.

"Oh, I know, but you must have what is best. I've made clothing for Tifa's friends for years and she expects nothing less out of me." She laughed, a hearty and rather annoying laugh.

"I even remember the time I made a pretty little number for her friend Cloud."

"You made a dress for a guy?" She glared at Tifa. "What kind of a place is this?"

"It's a long story, but Cloud was trying to free me from some guys that were trying to turn me into a prostitute." Tifa looked down at the ground and started to mumble. "Now how that Don Corneo managed to pick Cloud over me and Aeris…that's another story."

"What?"

"Never mind."

Rikku was put through the charade for a number of hours, trying on various outfits and having various adjustments made. Ultimately the three women decided on a few pairs of pajamas, and couple of traveling outfits, and a solid blue gown that, in Rikku's opinion, made her look "pretty stinkin' hot."

For now, she decided to just wear a button-up white shirt and tan skirt while she was walking outside.

"I'll be back in a minute!" She said, walking into the changing room. She quickly changed into her new clothes just as she would any other day, but soon she began to hear another voice speaking out in the store. This one was male.

"Hey, Tifa! What're you doing up in Wall Market?"

"Isn't it obvious? Shopping. I have a new friend that I brought up to Sama's for some new clothes. Now I think a better question might be what are YOU doing in Wall Market? I wouldn't think a dress shop would be your everyday hangout."

"It's not usually, but I'm just doing a little shopping for the lady. Don't really know what I get her, since I'm not sure if she's worn a dress in her lifetime."

The conversation didn't sound too serious, so Rikku decided to just walk out in her new clothes as if no one new had entered.

"So how do I look?" She did a few model turns, smiling as if she'd just picked up a new dressphere.

"Pretty good, if I do say so myself," the mysterious voice, a man with long red hair tied back in a ponytail, stated immediately.

"But then again, I'm probably not the person you were looking for approval from." He took a clean look up and down her body. "But I gotta say, if it wasn't for the wife at home I'd be asking you right now to join me for a little time at Costa del Sol."

Rikku couldn't help but blush a little bit. The man was cute in a "bad boy" sort of way.

"So please tell me you know this guy so I don't have to act weirded out."

"Okay then, I know him! Rikku, this is Reno. He used to be an enemy of ours but he's since converted over, at least for the most part. He was involved with Shinra at its peak."

"Really? Can you—"

"Actually, why don't we wait to have this conversation until we're someplace a bit more private?" Rikku looked around and noticed Reno wasn't the only one to enter the store while she was changing.

They checked out the clothes with Sama quickly, not really bothering with any conversation for the time being. Outside Wall Market was fairly crowded, but at least they would have the flexibility to move to the far reaches of the market away from prying ears. That's precisely what they did, and soon they found themselves walking alone on a dirt road.

Rikku tried as hard as she could to explain her story to Reno, about her sudden journey from Luca and the possible connection through Shinra between Spira and this new world.

"Sounds like you got a pretty good theory there, kid." Reno couldn't help but chuckle once, which peeved her off immensely. "But I gotta be straight with you, you're asking the wrong person entirely about company history! I joined Shinra for the pay and for the adventure, not to study up on how it was founded."

"Don't you even remember it mentioned in a company meeting at one point?"

"Hey, Shrina's not going to sit there and remind us of the past. We're all about moving forward!"

It was disappointing, to say the least, that someone with direct connections to the company didn't want to help her out. He was probably just an idiot and an egomaniac, but it was hard for her to eliminate the possibility that he was lying. Just as she started to deliver a patented "Level 7 Glare" on the jerk, Tifa made a tactical move and changed the subject.

"So Reno, what were you really doing in Wall Market?"

Rikku obviously didn't have priority in this conversation, suggesting that visits from this fellow were very much few and far between.

"I was looking for you, to be honest."

"Me? Please don't tell me Rude's going to try to ask me out again."

"Nah. Well to think of it he probably will, but that's not why I'm here. I know you're going to be surprised to here this, but Shinra has a proposition for ya."

"You better not be up to no good again!" Rikku blurted out.

"Sweet girl," he replied sarcastically. "Rufus isn't really looking to stir up trouble right now. He's just trying to get the company back on its feet and keep the world from falling apart. That's why Tifa's services here are so important."

"Rufus is the current president of Shinra," Tifa mumbled, knowing the question was coming sooner or later. She then spoke up and shot a glance over at Reno. "Why are my services so important? Remember now that I'm a barmaid, not a scientist."

"Yea, but you got a damn good knowledge of some of the Planet's inner workings. Plus, you're a good face for the public. There's been a lot of strange shit going down lately."

"Like what Vincent was talking about?"

"The monsters in the Ancient Forest? That's just the start of it. There's even been monsters roaming up by the Northern Crater again. Place has been pretty much dead since we waved bye-bye to Sephiroth." Tifa batted an eye in surprise, and Reno continued.

"Plus, we've heard rumors of some Lifestream pouring out up in the northern ocean. Some think it's got to do with the rock that crashed down yesterday."

"If it caused a deep enough gash in the earth I would expect the Planet to bleed a little."

"Then how do you explain the monsters, or the strange reports of green lights at nighttime? It may be nothing, but we gotta be consistently paranoid these days with all that's happened in the past."

Rikku really didn't want to wander off (after all, she really didn't have any idea where she'd go even if she wanted to), but she did decide to look at the scenery surrounding her. It wasn't really much to look at, but at least she didn't feel so awkward listening to old friends talk about something completely foreign to her.

"So I still don't understand my role in this."

"We just want you to visit Knights Island with a crew of scientists. See if anything points towards a potential disaster. You've been deep into the Planet, so you know what this stuff looks like." There was a brief pause before Rikku spoke again.

"You know I can't take Cloud. He's too unpredictable. I promise you there won't be any violence involved."

Tifa paused, looking over Reno with her eyes so distinctly even Rikku could tell.

"I'll think about it, but it sounds to me like you're still hiding something. Since when does Shinra care what the public thinks?"

"We're trying. I don't know what else I can tell you, Tiff."

"I wanna go that way!" Rikku didn't even realize what she had said until she was already pointing towards south. It was like there was something drawing her there, something buried deep within her consciousness. She couldn't touch it in her mind, but to her eyes the southern road looked as if it was paved with gold.

Tifa looked at Reno nervously.

"Rikku's probably bored listening to us talk. Maybe this is a sign we better head out. Give my regards to Yuffie for me."

"And about the job?"

"You'll know soon enough. I just need some…consultation first." Reno nodded reluctantly, tucking one of his hands into his dark pants, and walked back towards Wall Market.

"So why do you want to go that way? It's not the quickest way back to the bar."

"I know, but there's something important there. I can feel it!"

Apparently not one to upset a guest, Tifa allowed her new acquaintance to lead the way down the road in spite of the fact that Rikku didn't have any idea in the world where she was going or why she wanted to go there.

"I don't know if I can trust Reno…" Tifa mumbled.

Rikku beamed. "What? You're confiding in me already? How great!" She took a minute or two to formulate advice. After all, this was a new friend and one she didn't want to piss her off too quickly with a poor response.

"It sounds like this Knights Island is a tricky place. But sometimes you just gotta take risks, you know?"

--

Rikku remembered the lights of the Moonflow and the cries of the shoopuf handlers. She was completely and totally spent in the trip downstream.

She was still coming to terms with what had happened. She remembered picking up Tidus, the strange but attractive guy at the temple. Then there was noise. Furious waves splashed up across her back, and she watched him fall slowly off the boat.

Then, he attacked her! She had washed up on shore, wondering if it was really him or if her eyes were just playing tricks. Once she heard the voice, she knew. It was him, the same guy she last saw making a fall towards certain death.

She was struggling to stay conscious when he spoke.

"You're…not dead?"

Not realizing how awkward it probably made Tidus feel she quickly threw off her dark red Al Bhed outfit to reveal something far more comfortable: an orange sleeveless shirt and green shorts.

"Ah, thought I was done for back there." She was so exhausted she fell back onto the ground.

"Rikku! You're Rikku! Hey, you're okay! How you been?"

"Terrible."

"You don't look so good. What happened?"

"You beat me up, remember?" She kind of wished she hadn't said that. Probably came across as too harsh.

"Wait…that machina…that was you?"

"Uh, that really hurt, you know? You big meanie!"

"But you attacked us!"

"Nuh-uh. It's not exactly what you think."

She remembered the conversation. So sweet, so innocent, at least until Tidus seemed nervous to tell the crowd of her race. She convened with Yuna and Lulu like they were eight-year olds talking about what boys they liked. Yuna was kind, thanking her for saving the life of one of her "guardians." She was invited to join the pilgrimage, and she didn't hesitate for a second. She had to join the group for the sake of Tidus. She didn't really know what devotion was, but she still felt some sort of responsibility to help him. She was the first person to see him in Spira! After what happened on the boat she felt more obligated to protect him than anyone else.

But what about protecting Yuna? She was supposed to be _her _guardian. It was for the good of Spira, so she signed on for a battle against Sin, the being that took Tidus away in the first place. But she wasn't fighting for Yuna's sake, and she was quick to remind herself of that whenever she had the opportunity to talk with Tidus alone. Things were obviously different since their first meeting, but she took every chance she could.

At least she did for the first couple of weeks…

--

"See? You gotta take every chance you can! I didn't end up getting with the guy I liked, but I did end up helping to save Spira. Pretty good result of my decision, if I do say so myself."

Tifa looked confused.

"So what's your point, that I should go along with Shinra even if…I don't end up with Reno? I don't even like Reno!"

"Wait, that's not it! Sorry, I'm not too good with these speeches…all I'm trying to say is that you just gotta follow your heart. You don't wanna be working at a bar forever!"

Rikku could see an outline of a red building to her right, and as they moved closer and closer its faint outline started to become clearer. It was the same church she saw the day before, except now it was almost tempting her to go inside its beaten-down walls.

"Tifa, what's in that church?"

Almost in perfect reflection of the day before with Cid and Shera, Tifa's entire face froze up.

"In there? There's nothing really special anymore. There used to be some flowers…"

"Well I wanna go in! It's different than anything else I've seen. I feel…connected to it, I guess. Like it's telling me to come inside." Tifa tried to open her mouth in protest, but before she could say anything Rikku was recklessly bolting towards the church.

She immediately could tell upon entering that the place had seen its share of battles. The pews were uneven and broken, the paint of the walls was chipping off, and there was a gigantic hole in the right-hand corner of the ceiling. The hole allowed for a beacon of bright light to shine through, allowing a small garden of grass to sprout up in the middle.

Rikku almost didn't notice the man sitting in the front pew until she was right up on him. He was wearing solid black, and his mane of blonde hair was bent over in thought.

She wondered if he was the kind of guy she should be disturbing. He could be one of those crazy vagabonds Cid was talking about. Nevertheless she decided to go for it, patting him gently on the shoulder.

"Hey, mister! You okay?"

"Back off." She immediately felt herself being shoved back into one of the adjacent pews, her face turning bright red and her anger building.

"That was uncalled for! I was just trying to help you out."

"I don't want to be helped."

The man started to rise to his feet, and Rikku immediately noticed him slowly pulling out an enormous sword from under a pew.

"Wait," she said in protest. "I didn't mean to insult—"

"Cloud!"

The voice came from Tifa, who was running in from outside.

"What are you doing here?"

"Isn't it obvious? Paying my respects. This girl here was interrupting me." Tifa looked at him disapprovingly.

"I wasn't going to hurt her," he mumbled. "I just wanted to scare her a little. She has no business being here."

"Says who?" Rikku shouted back. "It's not like you own the place."

"I might as well," he replied hastily, "I have a greater attachment to it than anyone else."

"Calm down, you two. We've had enough battles here." Tifa looked to both of them sternly. "Cloud, this is Rikku. She's a rather interesting girl Vincent found wandering in the City of the Ancients."

"What?" Cloud finally turned around to face the girl, revealing a face filled with complete and utter shock. "You don't mean to say…"

"We don't know how she got there, either, and she doesn't seem to remember. She keeps saying she was transported here from Spira."

"It's the truth!" Rikku argued, seemingly to no good.

"Spira?" Cloud carried his blade in his right arm as he paced in a circle around the miniature garden. "The foundation of Shinra. Few people know about it. Even fewer care."

He pouted outward with his sword towards the hole in the ceiling.

"But for you to be from Spira would be impossible."

"A woman's voice told me I was needed here." Rikku had reminded herself of Vincent's words: Cloud would be interested in this.

The sudden halting of his movement proved Vincent's assumption right. His entire right hand began to shake, and Tifa looked on with obvious concern.

"A woman's voice? I wonder…no, it can't be." He shot her a glare. "Concentrate! Close everything out of your mind and tell me what you hear."

"What? I'm not going to hear anything."

"Just try it!"

Quickly, partially out of fear since the guy had a sword, she closed her eyes and concentrated deep. She was drawn to this place for some reason, but she didn't know why. There was a faint whispering, so soft it could have very well been the wind.

"I can't really hear anything."

"Concentrate harder!"

Again she focused in, but this time she completely disregarded where she was and how she arrived there. Instead she channeled her mind through her past and her present. She molded her memories and listened closely to the whispering. It grew louder and louder until more voices joined the conversation, none of them comprehensible. More and more joined, until what seemed like a hundred voices were jumping around in her head.

Then, one voice spoke out against the many.

_It's here_.

It was the same woman. She knew it!

"I heard it! I heard something!"

Unfortunately so did Cloud and Tifa, as a loud pounding noise came from outside.

There were three men that entered, each one carrying a large rifle and a copious amount of ammo.

"So, Mr. Cloud Strife, thought you could disobey the orders?"

"Yes, since the order consisted of lies. You told me this was medicine for Junon's kids! You're trying to brainwash them with this Mako-concentrated crap."

The head man, a thick and angry-looking fellow with a long brown beard, cocked his rifle and pointed it quickly at the "disobedient one."

"Who are you, delivery boy, to debate ethics? You failed to do the job, so now you gotta face your penalty. What do think, boys? I think a shot in the arm would teach him to follow orders." Or, he said, with a quick and furious glance towards Rikku, "Maybe we can rough up one of his ladies."

"I wouldn't take another step." Cloud quickly took hold of his sword, and within a matter of seconds gunfire started to fill the room.

Rikku jumped back behind a pew in panic. Sure, she could help Vincent take down a monster, but these guys had guns! She could hear bullets ricocheting off Cloud's sword, and a quick slice followed by a groan. This was soon followed by more gunshots.

"Shit! That didn't kill you?"

She looked over to her left to see Tifa struggling with the one of the other gunmen. She had his halfway away from him, at least enough to keep him from pulling the trigger.

She felt terrible for hiding, but what else could she do? Then, she quickly noticed something lying under the pew, close to where Cloud's sword was located. It was a small black bag, decorated with a silver wolf and a zipper. She felt horrible intrusive for rooting inside, but she soon discovered a few of the same mysterious green orbs she found the night before in Tifa's basement.

"Okay, I gotta try something," she mumbled to herself. She could hear Cloud's movements becoming slower, and Tifa was groaning in pain. She picked up two green orbs and quickly moved them around in her hands until one joined into the other.

"How do I use these green things?" She shouted, not really knowing what else to do.

One of the gunmen immediately turned his attention to her hiding place and began running towards her at full speed.

"Quick!" Tifa shouted. "Channel your energy and pick a target." She focused on the guy moving towards her, but it was a little difficult considering she was relying only on his footsteps.

"I don't know what I'm doing, I don't know what I'm doing…" She pretended as if she was lunging a knife forward into her target, except with a green orb in its place. She pushed her energy forward.

What occurred next was something Rikku didn't expect. A rush of flames surrounded the gunman, scorching his entire body until shortly falling to the ground. She heard his scream one moment, but as he hit the ground she then heard a loud "ribbit." She looked down to see a gun lying on the ground next to a slimy green creature hopping about.

"I just turned a gunman into a frog!" She was so shocked that she almost forgot there was a battle going on, and she almost didn't avoid a bullet coming at her because of it. She noticed that her outburst was at least enough to distract Tifa's opponent, who quickly lost control of his rifle. Tifa then struck him across the head with it and pointed at the bearded man, who was struggling to fend off Cloud.

"Drop the weapon or you die!" It was strange to hear such a threatening voice coming out of the girl's mouth, but it seemed to work as the leader's grip on his gun loosened. As it fell towards the ground, Cloud began to slowly back away.

"Thanks for teaching us a lesson," Cloud sneered, shoving the man back into the door.

"You're lucky you had your little friends this time, Mr. Strife." The man high-tailed it out of there before anything else could be said, leaving one of his men unconscious and the other one an amphibian.

The three left standing looked at each other for a moment, not knowing exactly what to say. Rikku finally broke the silence.

"That green stuff you have is pretty awesome! I set the guy on fire and turned him into a frog with just one blast."

"…That's why we're so curious." Rikku quickly realized both Cloud and Tifa were staring at her blankly. "How did you do that?"

"I don't know, I just mixed the two green ones together. Didn't think anything of it."

Cloud approached her slowly, his arms sagging slightly after the battle.

"You said you were from Spira, right?"

"Yup, that's right."

"Whether that's true or not, it looks like you definitely have some use to us. A girl who can transform Materia…"

"Is that what it's called?"

"Yes, but some people prefer to call it magic."

"So who were those guys?" Rikku said, drastically changing the subject.

"They're part of the Junon Renegades, a new group started up by Vance, an ex-SOLDIER. But they're not that important all of a sudden. They can't do something that no one else on the planet can do."

Tifa seemed to have more of a grin on her face, but even Rikku could tell she was also confused.

"Why don't we head back to Seventh Heaven? I'm sure the others are worried."

"Vincent should be waiting there. He stopped by the church earlier."

"Really?"

"He said he wanted to tell me about a possibly connection to the past. I didn't think it was going to come in the form of a person." Cloud took out a makeshift lock and closed up the abandoned church. He then turned around towards Rikku, and shot her the most piercing glare she had ever experienced.

"I think it's time we know a little bit more about you. Strange things are happening, and I have a good feeling it's all connected."

--

A/N: So I have a good feeling this chapter only works to create more questions, which is for right now my goal. I promise you it won't take longer than a year this time before I post something more. This chapter may seem a little disjointed, but I'm hoping to make it all relevant in the big picture as I regain my momentum.


End file.
